Russia’s President
Vladimir Putin met with city's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, as well as
local architects and officials on Thursday to discuss Moscow
renovation plans.

One of the proposals was to open the gates of Spasskaya Tower,
the main tower at the Kremlin, to the public.

"Sergey Semenovich (Sobyanin) proposed another idea: to open
the gates of the Spasskaya Tower due to the very large flow of
tourists,” said Putin.

Currently, all tourists enter the Kremlin territory through the
Kutafya Tower – it’s the only way in and out. So, in order to
exit the territory one has to circle the area. "Such
logistics is difficult," the mayor added.

In turn, after a conversation, the first deputy head of the
Presidential Administration Alexey Gromov said that Spasskaya
tower will open its gates in the near future.

It's part of a plan for a better tourist access to the site,
which is currently undergoing reconstruction work to completely
restore it to its original condition.

Earlier Putin proposed rebuilding two monasteries and a church
which were located within the Kremlin’s territory up until 1930.
Gromov noted it would be possible if officials approve the
demolition of one of the Kremlin’s administration buildings
constructed during the Soviet era.

The administration building n.14 is neither a UNESCO World
Heritage Site nor an object of any historical or cultural
significance, so its demolition will not contradict any laws. It
was built in the traditional Soviet 1930-40’ neoclassical style.
The relatively unremarkable but massive building blocks the view
of the Kremlin’s cathedrals from the Red Square, which on the
contrary are international heritage sites.

The Spasskaya Tower was built in 1491 by an Italian architect
Pietro Antonio Solari and was initially named the Frolovskaya
Tower. The gate of the tower has always been the main gate and
was revered by Orthodox Saints. The clock on the tower appeared
between 1491 and 1585 and is referred to as the Kremlin chimes as
they designate official Moscow time.